The concept of a garment hanger that includes a label indicating the size of the garment hung thereon is well-known. However, modern safety standards require a size-indicating tab to be irremovable once installed on a hanger. From the standpoint of safety, if a small tab can be easily removed from a hanger, it may become lodged in a child's throat. But another problem has arisen in wake of the development of permanently attached size-indicating tabs. Specifically, the tabs are difficult to attach to the hangers and assembly-line workers may develop carpal tunnel syndrome as a result of installing the tabs on the hangers.
By way of background, retail stores have used hangers indicating the size of the garment for a long time. Examples of patented size-indicating garment hangers and/or size-indicating labels for garment hangers include the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 1,321,926; 1,389,266; 3,535,808; Des. 244,197; 3,949,914; 4,997,114 and 4,115,940. Each of the above references include some sort of tag or label attached to the hanger that is visible to the consumer as he/she browses through racks of clothes in a retail store. Because many garments are sold with the hanger, the hangers often find their way into the homes of consumers. Because the tabs disclosed in the above references may be removed from the hangers, sometimes with surprising ease, the tabs have caused injury to young children who have a tendency to put small items in their mouths. The tabs can become lodged in the throat of a child inflicting serious injury or suffocation.
Therefore, the garment hanger industry began to develop size-indicating tabs that could not be easily removed from garment hangers. One such example is found in U.S. Pat. No. No. 5,096,101. This patent discloses a plastic tab that is forced over a tab holder that includes two triangular cross-sections. The U-shaped tab includes two inwardly protruding ends and two projections. Both the ends and the projections are captured underneath the enlarged regions of the triangular cross-sections. The result is a double-locking tab that cannot be removed from the hanger without substantially damaging or destroying the tab.
However, it will be noted that the tab disclosed by the 5,096,101 patent is rather difficult to attach to the tab holder. Specifically, the assembly-line worker must firmly grasp the tab and impart undue amounts of twisting and pushing forces on the tab to push it over both triangular cross-sections and into the locking position. Because the assembly-line worker must firmly grasp the tab and thereafter firmly press the tab inward or downward on the hanger to lock the tab into place, the probabilities for the occurrence of carpal tunnel syndrome are increased.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common nerve disorder affecting the hands, wrist and forearm of its victims. Specifically, carpal tunnel syndrome results from the compression of the median nerve at the wrist, within the carpal tunnel. The carpal tunnel acts as a conduit for important nerves, blood vessels and tendons extending through the wrist to the thumb and fingers. The compression of nerves in the carpal tunnel causes sensory and motor changes in the median distribution of the hand. Carpal tunnel syndrome usually occurs in women between ages 30 and 60 and poses a serious occupational health problem. Assembly-line workers, packers and persons who repeatedly use poorly designed tools are most likely to develop this disorder. Any strenuous use of the hands, including sustained grasping, twisting or turning, may aggravate this condition.
Difficult-to-install tabs like the ones shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,096,101 may contribute to the development of carpal tunnel syndrome in assembly-line workers. Therefore there is a need for an improved size-indicating tab that is easier for the assembly-line worker to install on the garment hanger. The size-indicating tab must also include the non-removable aspects previously known so as to not create a child-safety problem.